I was five years old when I sat by the coffee table, found a pencil and a small stack of loose leaf paper and began to draw. Even at that age, something inside me told me that this was something I wanted to pursue. It was a lot of fun.

From there, I would continue to doodle and draw more seriously - usually with pencils and ball point pens. My work seemed to be getting steadily better and I was always being praised and encouraged by my family and friends. That was something I came to crave.

In Grade seven, I was put in an art class, but it seemed to be just a bunch of kids sitting around spilling paint and throwing putty at each other. I actually became frustrated with it all and thought then that I would not want to be a real artist anymore. I even gave up drawing all together for the next few years.

In a psychology class in grade ten, I began to doodle on my binder again. Big trucks and large farm tractors was a subject that interested me, yet I still did not even venture near the art section of my high school. Not interested.

In a psychology class in grade ten, I began to doodle on my After leaving college, I found a job in a T-shirt shop and had a great time designing shirts there. This was followed by four years pumping gas because the economy was in a slump.

I finally lied my way into a job as Art Director for a Television Station in Red Deer, Alberta. I was not even qualified for that job, but quickly learned the ropes and turned out to be pretty good at it. It had a wide selection of different duties to perform and, to this day, it was perhaps the most fun and interesting job I've ever had.

After three years there, I became Art Director for a newspaper for a substantially more money.
Eventually, I started my own business for graphic design. It paid the bills, but working on designs that other people tell you to do and how to do them was not for me. It was not from the heart. That is why I like to do my own art whenever the opportunity presents itself.

I now specialize in watercolour, pen and ink as well as a dabbling of acrylics, but I never turn my nose up at any form of art. I’m game for just about anything. Now that I am delving more deeply into the real art community, I am finding that they are just as friendly and dedicated as the kids I met in high school so long ago. I am liking this new realm and hope to earn a place within it for many years to come.

As Senior Graphics Designer for Industrial Graphics, I’ve been the principal design and layout specialist for companies such as The City of Calgary, Inland Cement, STEP Energy and PET Auto. Proficient in Mac and PC and have experience using Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, Acrobat and Photoshop, as well as CorelDraw, in both platforms. I have experience with Composer (Omega) and GS Plot. I’m an experienced Web Designer with experience in HTML and CSS, and have created advanced web sites for small and mid sized companies. I’m a strong team player but can work independently when required. I have supervisory experience, managing up to six junior graphic designers.

Roberts Lawes Design Inc.

Job Title:

President and Principal Designer/Web Developer

Functional Area – Graphics and Web Design

Period – 1998.01.01 – 2013.09.31

Industry – Client Based Graphics

Location – Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Description

With 25 years of business experience dedicated to design and layout of printed materials including advertising, corporate branding, marketing, web design, original artwork client relations and general business management. Proficient in desktop publishing for magazine layouts, brochure design and Corporate Annual Reports. Major clients include: Dakota Design; Canada Safeway, Simmental Country Magazine and Limousin Voice Magazine. Integrity, honesty and confidentiality are our guiding principals.

Desktop publishing credits:

"The Grasshopper”by Joseph L. Lothian

"Eleven Bridges to Last Chance Saloon and the Rosedeer Hotel" by Lawrence Chrismas

“Simmental in Canada”by Gerry Kaumeyer

“Western Horse Magazine"

“Simmental Country"

Alberta Beef Magazine”

“Limousin Voice Magazine"

“Simmental in Canada”by Gerry Kaumeyer

Education/Training:

Alberta College of Art
Field of Education:Art and Design
Location Calgary, Canada

Below is my contact information:

If you should wish to contact me to hire my graphic design services, commission a painting or drawing, or even wish to discuss the world of art and design (I love to do that), you may reach me at the email or phone number listed below.

Please be sure to call me between the hours of 8:00 am and 9:30 pm, because I like to sleep too.